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Like the mythical brute for which it is named , dragon fruit often has green scales on the international and ruby flesh on the interior , though the color vary according to cultivar . Since the cactus on which those fruit can be observe is a fast - develop industrial plant that depends on other plant for support and can become quite heavy , you do n’t want it “ eating up ” any of your fair flowering trees . So , among the first affair you should think about when see how to grow flying lizard fruit is what sort of lair ( resting blank space ) you will give it .
Growing Dragon Fruit at a Glance
unwashed Name : flying dragon fruit , Nox - blossom cereus , pitahayaScientific Name : Hylocereus undatusandSelenicereus spp . Hardiness Zone : 9 - 11Soil : Fertile , well - drainedLight : Full sun to light shadeWater : Average in summer , low-pitched winterFood : Palm fertilizer and compost manurePropagation : Cuttings or seedsSafety : Non - toxic but spiny
Dragon Fruit Characteristics
Native to southern Mexico , Central America , and South America , and sometimes called flying lizard fruit tree , the pitahaya cactus cactus ( HylocereusandSelenicereus spp . ) is anepiphytic plantin the dotty , clambering over other Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree or rocks to support itself via ethereal roots . It can grow to 20 to 30 feet , with swing 3- to 5 - sided stems and spines in its nodes .
The dragon yield bloom is a showy , unremarkably white or pinkish , bloom that can evaluate up to 16 column inch across . Those blooms broadly speaking come along in spring or former summertime to be followed by 4½-inch - diameter , testicle - shaped fruit 37 to 48 days later . In addition to green “ scales , ” the fruits sport red , pink , or yellow coats and clean , Battle of Magenta , or red form pepper with diminutive black seeds .
Although sometimes grown on horizontal wires as grapes are , dragon yield flora sit more comfortably on platform - top out posts .
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Recommended Dragon Fruit Varieties
Planting Dragon Fruit
Keep in mind that thesesucculent plantsprefer tropic rather than desert conditions .
When is the best time to plant dragon fruit?
It ’s best to plant dragon yield in leap or early summer . However , since the cactus usually is grown only in rime - free zones , you should be able to get out with setting it out whenever you prefer . If you are starting your own cuttings , allow them to root for 4 to 6 months in a pot before transplant them into the undercoat . Outdoor plantscan put up occasional scant icing but will be defeat by heavy freezes .
Where can dragon fruit grow?
take a location in full sun to light shade that is at least 15 feet away from nearby trees and buildings and has fat , well - drain soil . You willneed a supportcomposed of a perdurable vertical post — such as an 8 - foot hardwood 4×4 — top with a modest horizontal platform — such as a wooden or alloy grid — for the plant to perch atop so that its ramification can dangle down on all sides . If you plan to install multiple dragon fruit posts , space them 6 to 9 feet asunder .
How do you plant dragon fruit?
After affixing your chopine to the top of the post , set the post just in the footing , with the abject third of its base sink in the soil .
Can you grow dragon fruit in containers?
If you hold up in a seat where the plant life is n’t audacious , you’re able to develop it in a 16- to 18 - in diam pot so it can be moved indoors over the winter . You ’ll need to provide a support in the tummy for the cactus to grow on — some folks have had luck with tomato plant cage .
Watering Dragon Fruit Plants
Since dry precondition help bring on flowering , you may desire to refrain from watering in - ground plants in spring until after they blossom and set fruits . From that time until you have harvest all of the fruits , you ’ll want to keep the flora ’ soil evenly moist but not inert , so those fruits wo n’t split .
If growing dragon yield in a container , you may need towater it at least twice a weekduring summer . However , you should minify that amount during winter to only once a week or once every 10 twenty-four hours .
Fertilizing Dragon Fruit
TheUniversity of Florida Extensionsuggests that , about a month after position out your plant , you should begin to run it every 2 months with ¼ pound of an8 - 4 - 12 palm fertilizer . As part of your dragon fruit plant maintenance , you may also require to spread several British pound of composted manure around the Qaeda of the cactus — but not concern it — to speed ontogeny . bit by bit increase the amount of fertilizer until , by year 4 , you are applying ½ pound at a time but only once every 3 to 4 months .
Pollination
Because dragon fruit plant flush at night , they are pollenate in their aboriginal home ground by bats or moths . If nocturnal pollinators are n’t unwashed where you hold out , you ’ll need topollinate the plants yourself . According toGrowing Tasty Tropical Plantsby Laurelynn G. Martin and Byron E. Martin , if you have a self - pollinating dragon yield plant “ you’re able to just brush your handwriting across the pistils and stamens of a flower . ”
However , the University of Florida Extension recommends that you “ plant 2 or 3 different transmitted types ( not the same clon or change ) . ” The extension phone service says that cross - pollination between the different type in the planting will secure a beneficial fruit set and size . ”
Pruning Dragon Fruit Plants
After you set out a plant , tie its main stem to its post . Prune off any side branches from that stem until it has develop to the point that its tip is 4 in above the chopine . Then crop back the primary stem turn itself to make it ramify out heavily over the surface of the platform .
At least once a class thereafter you should prune out any dead or damaged stanch as well as cut back those that have swing far enough to reach the land . You may also involve to thin the plant a moment by removing watery stems .
Propagating Dragon Fruit
It ’s best to pass around dragon yield cactus from cuttings , since they may fruit within a year after take root , while plants grown from flying dragon fruit seeds often ask 5 to 7 years to raise . Take 6 to 15 inch press cutting , clip the base of each one at a slant , and leave them to dry out in a shady location for a week before youdip their bases in root hormoneand potbelly them .
pressure seeds into the control surface of damp seeded player - starting mixing and keep the container in a warm , bright locating until the source sprout in 2 to 4 week .
Safety Considerations
Both the flowers and yield of the dragon yield industrial plant are edible , and the foliage is not toxic to either humanity or pets . However , you will desire to wear heavy gloves when handle the cactus to protect yourself from its spines .
It can grow very large and weighty as it senesce . Therefore , if its mail is not well secure , that support could topple , maybe injuring both the industrial plant and any nearby people or animals .
Potential Pests and Diseases
Young dragon fruit plant in full sunshine may develop a character of “ sunburn . ” So , just after you plant them , wrap up them with a shade cloth which cut 30 pct of the light that reaches them . Once they spring up larger and less raw , you’re able to gradually expose them to more light .
The master pest for your dragon fruit credibly will be razz , who jazz the fruits as much as human do . If you prefer to keep those “ non-white eggs ” for yourself , you will need to cloak netting over the plants or traverse each yield with adrawstring mesh udder .
Harvesting Dragon Fruit
Although most dragon yield can be glean within 50 solar day after the plant ’s flowering , others — peculiarly those fromSelenicereus megalanthuscultivars — may require 5 to 6 months to mature . fit in to the Martins , the flying lizard fruit plant typically does n’t fruit until it has reach 4 to 5 foot in meridian .
When is the best time to harvest dragon fruit?
Dragon fruit time of year typically runs from summertime through autumn . Dragon fruit ripeness is determined by eld , with the produce of most cultivar ripen 37 to 48 Day after the flush fall . If a yield releases from the plant easily when you deform it , it is ready . If it hangs on , you should waitress a bit , since the yield sweeten as they stay on on the plant .
How do you harvest dragon fruit?
Protect your hands by donning a pair of leather baseball mitt before you begin .
How do you store dragon fruit?
Dragon fruits will keep 4 to 5 days at room temperature but can last up to a calendar month if stored in a perforated formative handbag inside your icebox . To eat , tailor the fruit in one-half and scoop out the pulp magazine with a spoon . Or , after cutting the fruit in half , peel off the pelt and cut the fruit into chunk .
Looking for more fruiting plants ? mark out our guides on growingelderberries , raspberry , andstrawberries .
Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
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We ’ll help you prepare up your first garden — whether that ’s a few passel on your patio , a set up seam , or an in - ground patch out back — and take the correct plants for your soil and region .
Photo: istockphoto.com
Photo: istockphoto.com
Photo: istockphoto.com
